Hard water is a common problem in homes, and luckily, technology has provided efficient ways to solve this problem. Hard water is basically water that has dissolved salts of magnesium and calcium, and this makes the water hard. It also contains chlorides, sulphates, bicarbonates and in worse cases, ferrous iron which can turn your clothes and dishes brown and also discolor your teeth. From the sound of these minerals, you can see that they can be very harmful, and even annoying, when in large quantities, and this is why hard water is not ideal for domestic use. Although science tells us that drinking hard water is healthy to drink because it contains calcium and magnesium, when these are in large quantities, they are far from healthy. That is why it is advisable to purchase an efficient water softening system. I got myself a Fleck water softener because it is highly effective and easy to use. With a water softener, you have no problems with hard water.
Disadvantages of hard water are:
1. Clogged pipes:
You would end up with clogged pipes which would eventually burst if you don’t notice it early. The minerals in the water would form a coating of lime scale inside the pipes, and this would clog the pipes leading to low water pressure. If you don’t notice this early, the pipes would finally burst. Hard water also causes pipes to suffer corrosion and rusts, and so you would have to frequently fix or replace your pipes. This is obviously costly, and so buying a water softening system would fix this problem immediately.
2. Damaged Water Appliances
When you use hard water, because of the build-up of lime scale, you would end up with damaged dishwashers, washing machines, coffee makers, showers and showerheads. The lime scale would eventually cause the appliances to get damaged and then you would have to fix or replace them frequently. When you wash dishes with a dishwasher, the minerals in the water add spots or stains to your dishes. When using a washing machine, you end up with faded or unclean clothes. The minerals in the hard water combine with the dirt on clothes, and this stains your clothes permanently. With boilers, lime scale would also cause the boilers to become less efficient which would lead to high electricity bills. Your electricity bills can increase as high as twenty five percent more than the usual price. After a while, you would eventually have to buy another boiler because it would get damaged.
3. No Lather
When you use hard water with soap to wash, you would not have a soap lather or it would take a while before you can work up a quick lather. Although you might think that you need to change your soap, it is actually the fault of the hard water. Soft water on the other hand, gives out a lot of lather when you’re washing with soap.
4. Adverse Effects on Hair and Skin
When you wash your hair with hard water, your locks or tresses would eventually have a hint of red, and this would not remove when you wash it. You would have to go a salon to treat your hair. You would also end up with dry hair. When you bath with hard water, you can also get irritated and dry skin. The minerals in the hard water would be left behind on your skin and it makes your skin rough and dry. Hard water also would not remove any bacteria on your skin and so this would end up being harmful to your skin.
When you use a water softener, you get to avoid all these dreadful disadvantages. Although there are pros and cons of water softeners, the pros outweigh the cons and water softeners eventually provide you with healthy, clean soft water. You can purchase less expensive water softeners so that you can avoid high costs, and you can also look out for water softeners which also filter out any dirt or bacteria from the water. Although water softeners require constant maintenance, it does not take time and it is worth it because of the many benefits that soft water brings.
